


Marvelous Things

by nycthemeron



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fantasy, M/M, Magical Realism, More tags to be added, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Parent Umino Iruka, Religious Conflict, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto-centric, Witchcraft, Witches, he deserves more credit, itachi is alive because i said so, only bc there are deities in here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23968606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nycthemeron/pseuds/nycthemeron
Summary: “The Academy!” Naruto exclaims, holding up the acceptance letter in front of him, “I was accepted!”“Really? Naruto that’s great!”Iruka steps forwards and takes the papers from his hand. He reads the standard congratulatory message of acceptance, then he flips to the second page and reads his class schedule and list of needed supplies. If Naruto could bounce off the walls, he would be.“Got me as your religious history professor, huh?” Iruka asks. Naruto looks at him nervously for a second.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Marvelous Things

The wind has been especially unforgiving lately. It forces its way through treetops, pulls the leaves with it. They create a mimicry of ocean waves with the way it pushes and pulls. The trees have the unmistakable whistling, wailing, and whizzing of zephyrs, but lack the crescendo of a breaking wave, the crashing, the sort of fading fizzle the water creates as it creeps closer to shore. 

The wind is unpleasant in the evening. No one in this world can say they feel safe when the wind blows against them at those late hours. Wind signifies change—quickly, abruptly. Not to say change is a bad thing, but change when you least expect it can pull the rug from beneath your feet. Whether or not such a change is lasting or fleeting is not what matters. Wind in the darkness creates a sense of unease that would make any uncertain person worry.

Even the animals take notice of it. Scents that blow their way warn them of predators nearby and they flee. Some of them dislike the feeling of wind on their fur, it pushes it up unnaturally. Sometimes it simply disorients them, and because of this they take shelter. Birds hide in nests within dense trees, rabbits return to their burrows underground, and humans return to their homes. 

The wind is music to Naruto’s ears. For as long as he can remember, he has never thought the wailing of it to be creepy. He heard the shifting tones and pitches, but he never heard the warnings of lurking danger. Maybe that was a bad thing. He knows to some it might be, but he still likes to open his window just to listen to it while he works in his room. 

Like right now, while sitting cross-legged on his bed, the wind grounds him despite its nature. 

After his final year of high school ended, he first considered having as much fun as possible during summer like any normal kid would. But, he knew if we were accepted into The Academy, the school of his dreams, he would have to keep his psychic abilities sharp. So he decided that at the very least he would spend around an hour every day honing them.

The Academy is never as quick as mundane schools at letting their prospective students know if they would be accepted or not. There are not enough people to go through all the applications and tests at such a pace, plus the additional essays to be read and video interviews to be watched to determine for each student whether or not the school is right for them. There are two and half weeks left, he estimates, for him to wait for a message.

Sometimes he worries about it, whether or not he got in or not, but the sparingly logical part of him knows that he at least qualifies for the basic classes of his course. However, if there is one other thing that he has not quite grasped in addition to the Art of studying, it would be his own psychic ability. He barely passed his Interpretations & Applications class last year, and did not want to fall behind again. 

Naruto sighs, and begins his daily practice by opening a smaller notebook, the one meant for this kind of thing. He flips past his notes on his interpretations for the Major and Minor Arcana of his tarot deck, going straight to the spreads in the back. He passes the career spreads, and instead focuses on the prosperity category. After considering each spread he has--there are only six--he decides to just go with the first one titled “7”.

Naruto sets the notebook down to the side, and opens an orange bag the size of a small purse containing all he needs to get started. He pulls out his tarot reading cloth, velvet in its material and black in color, and lays it as flat as he can on his bed. He fishes out a small folded piece of paper labeled _Intentions_ and unfolds it. It’s torn in some places and his handwriting is not the best, but he can still read it.

Naruto takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, eyebrows slightly pulled together because he really does not want to be doing this, but opens them again and begins to speak the words with clear direction, “I feel safe, comfortable, and in the know when using Kyu. I accomplish learning more about myself and Kyu. I learn how to better myself, help others, and spend time with Kyu from Kyu.”

_It’s always such a mouthful. Why did I make it so long?_

The wind blows particularly hard for a moment, and the curtains framing the window on the other side of the room sway rapidly. He refocuses. 

Naruto sets the paper down and sticks his hand into the bag again, and pulls out three silver rings, each one adorning a different stone. One purple, one a white that reflects streaks of rainbow light, and the other a dark navy blue with gold specks. 

He places the white stoned one on his right pinky.

_Intuition._

The purple one is placed on his left middle finger.

_Analysis._

Lastly, the navy blue one he places on his left pointer finger.

_Spirituality._

Naruto takes a short moment to feel the energy flow intensely from his fingers, up his arm, throughout the rest of his body. It’s a weird tingly feeling, and when he focuses on the concentrated feeling in his fingers, a small grin grows on his face. It may be a bit odd, but he still enjoys the sensation. 

Naruto blinks, remembers the spread he needs to read, and glances at the notebook again to count how many cards he needs. He counts seven, of course.

He reaches into the bag for the last time, and pulls out a slightly disorganized stack of cards. They fit in his hand nicely, bigger than regular playing cards but not big enough that he has any issues.. He shuffles them regularly, repeatedly, not bothering to keep track of how many times because he knows he will lose count. He keeps shuffling until the deck feels _clean_ , like all the unnatural energy from before is gone and he can finally get going. 

With a small upturn still present on his lips, Naruto spreads the cards haphazardly across the tarot reading cloth, keeping them face down. He flattens his hands across them, mixes them, no real pattern or reason behind it other than to completely erase any kind of order. He stops when he feels satisfied, then keeping the type of spread in mind, begins looking for his cards. 

Naruto has no real pattern behind the way he chooses them either, but when he looks for cards, his head feels fuzzy when his eyes land on an area close to one of them. When he finds the right area, he touches each card with his hand, goes through all of them and then comes back to the one that felt right and picks it. He repeats this until he has all seven cards, then sets them on his lap.

Naruto gathers the remainders and stacks them neatly off to the side. He picks his seven cards back up and lays them out in a straight line, left to right, still face down. He stares at them intently, eyebrows furrowed as he tries to focus on which card he needs to put where to get the order right. He ends up switching the 2nd and 4th cards as well as the 1st and 5th. 

Lastly, because Naruto chooses to read reverse cards--it just feels right, even though it makes it harder for himself--he now has to determine which ones he needs to turn 180 degrees. He feels like the cards have some kind of energetic weight to them, and the weight has to be at the top for it to be correct, like flipping an hourglass. 

He mumbles to himself while he concentrates, slowly turning the 1st, then 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th card. He rests his hands on his knees to survey them again, and deems them correct.

He gathers them back up, 7 on the bottom counting backwards until the 1st card is on top. He places them down in their designated positions, then flips them over one by one. 

The Hanged Man. Reversed Two of Wands. Four of Swords. Reversed Six of Cups. Knight of Pentacles. Reversed Judgement. Three of Cups.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Naruto says desperately, “All that and I don’t even get a sure victory! Come on!”

Great. Now he has all that to look forward to. The 2nd and 4th positions make sense to him, he is going to be attending the Academy after all, and 1st position kind of makes sense but he gets the feeling there is something more to it. And that Reversed Judgement is not something he is exactly excited about.

Naruto flops backwards on his bed, sighing when his back hits the sheets. His arms and hands lay limp above his head while he stares at the ceiling, part of him somewhere else while he thinks.

_I get it but… what does it actually mean?_

He groans and ruffles his own hair in frustration, “Kyu what does this even mean, man!” 

The deck does not move, but he can feel the energy he projects into Naruto’s mind, something like ‘How am I supposed to know? You’re the interpreter.’

“Smartass…” Naruto mumbles, glaring down at his deck. Kyu projects energy that feels similar to when Naruto flips someone off, and he chuckles.

Naruto decides to end his practice session there. Exhaustion is starting to grasp him, and psychic work is no good when you have no energy. He quickly writes down notes from the spread on a blank piece of paper from his notebook, places it on the nightstand next to his bed to look at later. He gathers the cards together and shuffles them a few times. 

“Thanks for working with me, Kyu,” Naruto says quietly. 

He returns the deck to the cloth bag, and the _Intentions_ paper follows afterwards. Naruto takes off his rings, yawns as he feels the energy stop moving through his body, and returns them to the bag. He folds up the tarot reading cloth with as much care as he can muster and gently pushes it in. He closes his notebook, reaches from his reclined position on his bed and puts it next to the paper on his nightstand, and places the bag on top of it.

The wind whistles across the room again, and he lies still to listen. He considers leaving it open while he sleeps, now feeling the full extent of his exhaustion. He ultimately decides that it’s not a great decision.

Naruto groans to himself with a pout, complaining about the decision that he himself made that forces him to leave the warmth of his bed. He drags his feet over to the window and sighs again while he reaches for the handle to close it.

Naruto pauses when he hears a sound, although very quiet, sounded like wings flapping. He looks out the window, squints his eyes to see past the trees and into the sky. 

_Maybe an owl?_

Naruto waits for a few more seconds, then goes to shut the window again, and the sound returns louder this time, like it’s approaching, and before he knows it a large bird flies into his room. He yelps and covers his head, squatting on the floor to protect himself. He listens to the bird struggle in the tight space of his room, and he thinks it will attack him and he will be spending his night fighting off a bird that could take his eyes out. 

The flapping comes to a gradual stop, and Naruto lifts his head to chance a look to see where the bird has landed. Perched on the chair at the desk about five feet away from him is the bird, and Naruto watches it closely with wide eyes, being sure to stay still. He recognizes it as a hawk. 

_A hawk? What’s a hawk doing- a hawk!_

Naruto stares at the bird with new interests, and upon a quick examination, he spots thin straps by its neck, meaning it carries a message on its back. A message from The Academy. He quickly stands back up and walks over to the bird. 

“Whatcha got for me?” Naruto asks, scratching the backs of the hawks head. “I’ve got some frozen fish in the freezer or I can check the mousetrap in my closet, take your pick.”

The hawk ruffles its feathers and blinks at him twice. 

“Mousetrap it is then.”

Naruto checks the small backpack the bird wears to make sure it really is from the Academy like he thought, and surely enough the spiral leaf is sewn with red onto the material. Definitely the Hidden Leaf’s Academy.

The hawk squawks at Naruto and flaps its wings a few times before settling back down. “Okay, fine, I’ll check the mousetrap,” Naruto says, irritated.

He turns and walks towards his closet in a different wall. The wheels squeak when he slides the door to the side, and looks upwards at the shelf a couple feet above the hanging rack. Naruto sees the wooden corner of the mousetrap sitting a little over the edge like he had left it, and on top of it, hanging over the edge, is definitely the tail of a mouse.

“You’re in luck Mr. Hawk.” Naruto stands on his tippy toes and reaches for the trap, gently taking it down. He grimaces at the broken corpse, and with the thumb of the hand that holds the trap he opens it enough to pull the mouse out with the other. “Dinner is served.”

Naruto walks back over to the hawk while holding onto the mouse by the tip of its tail. He holds it just over the bird's head for him to grab, and he does so quickly, and Naruto flinches. He watches as the hawk seems to chew, forcing the mouse down its throat for digestion. It ruffles its feathers again when it’s done. 

“Okay, let’s see the verdict,” Naruto says, an excited smile on his face as he removes the letter from the bird’s back. There are two pages rolled up together. 

**_Naruto Uzumaki,_ **

**_Congratulations on being accepted into The Hidden Leaves’ Academy of Witchcraft! Upon reviewing your transcript sent to us by your previous school, as well your Psychic Abilities Exam, Practical Application and Execution Exam, and Specific Strongsuits Exam, we have determined that you would do excellent here at the Academy. We also took into account the information given in your Video Interview when deciding which classes would be best for you to start with, but if you are unhappy with the classes we have chosen, you can make an appointment with a councilor here at the Academy the day classes begin to see what we can do to change that._ **

**_Your first class will start the day after the next New Moon at the time given on your schedule, and will be at the location specified at the bottom of the page. There is an optional Freshmen Orientation a week beforehand if you wish to attend in preparation for what to expect here on campus. If you have any concerns regarding housing, resources for those with disabilities, student support services for those with mental illness, or any other concern, the Student Center will be open three days before classes start to address them._ **

**_The next page attached contains your schedule for this upcoming semester, as well as your basic supplies and textbooks required for each class. You should not have more than four classes. If this is not the case, please let us know at the Student Center ASAP, and refrain from buying anything other than what is labeled as Basic Requirements until the issue is fixed._ **

**_Once again, congratulations on being accepted into The Hidden Leaves Academy._ **

Naruto all but smiles out of pure joy while reading his acceptance letter. He really did it, he made it into the school of his dreams. No one thought he could ever get this far let alone receive this letter, and here he is holding it in his hands. Naruto is practically vibrating a frequency that could shatter glass when he turns to the next page. 

**_Fall Semester 2020_ **

**_HIS-110-09_** **_History of Religion E-97_** **_Umino_**

 ** _HIS-111-08_** **_Symbology_** **_E-115_** **_Ebisu_**

 ** _PD-208-12_** **_Spellcraft_** **_A-27_** **_Hatake_**

 ** _SCI-209-06_** **_Potions_** **_C-76_** **_Yuhi_**

_Not completely boring looking!_

Naruto dreaded the history classes, maybe not symbology as much, but he still did not plan on being excited for them. The other classes, however, were a different story. 

Naruto has never been happier that his father was able to convince him to take some summer college classes. All his Mundane requirement classes were now out of the way, to be forgotten, never to be revisited, and Naruto is positively _thrilled_ with himself for doing it now, to be able focus on all the cool new Witch Stuff. He makes a mental note to tell him thank you when he gets the chance. 

He skips over the needed materials, and sets the papers down on his desk. For now, he decides to sleep, so he can tackle this with all his energy and enthusiasm tomorrow.

  
  
The first thing Naruto recognizes as he wakes up gently is how warm one side of his face feels. He sighs as he turns onto his back, and the warmth spreads farther across his nose and lips. Sunlight. 

Naruto continues to wake up slowly, his brain moving faster while he lays there absorbing the morning rays. He pushes the covers down, uses his legs to awkwardly kick them all the way off. He goes still again afterwards, basking in the stillness he really only finds in the beginnings of mornings like this. He blinks open his eyes to get used to the brightness, and turns his head to look out the window. 

Naruto never actually closed it last night, and huffs at himself in amusement when he realizes. Outside, the sun has barely made it past the horizon of trees, and although the light is so intense and probably blinding him right now, the enveloping comfort that blankets his face and body is soft, pleasant, and he does not want to move.

There is no wind today. There is no pull on his curtains, no wailing to keep him focused. Everything is stagnant, wonderfully hushed. The chirping of birds back and forth has Naruto feeling at peace. Days like these were the best. 

Naruto leaves his own head again, focuses on the world outside his window. In the distance, a large predatory looking bird flies in slow circles above the treeline. 

_A vulture. A hawk, maybe._

Naruto watches it fly in circles for a moment longer. He sighs, the kind of sigh of someone who knows they have to get started with their day. Naruto sees something rattle on his nightstand outside his direct line of vision. He looks upwards, a piece of paper is there on the table. 

All of last night’s events come crashing back into his memory. Naruto plants his hands on the bed and sits up swiftly, his head still feels heavy with sleep but that is not his main concern. He swings his legs down and onto the floor, practically jumping out of bed to run out his room, quickly grabbing the acceptance letter before barely managing to throw open his door without hurting himself. He runs down the hall, bare feet thumping the wood as he approaches the staircase.

“Iruka!” Naruto yells, lungs seeming to be malfunctioning a little bit with how giddy he is, “Iruka!”

“What!” Naruto hears from the kitchen. 

He skips the last two steps, jumping onto the floor and nearly tripping, keeps going and enters the kitchen. His breathing is a little erratic, probably more than it should be, but the absolute joy and pride shining in his eyes proves that it really does not matter much. 

Iruka stands at the counter in front of the coffee maker, hair down and unkept, wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants. He turns around when he hears Naruto enter the kitchen. 

“What’s going on? You’re never up this early,” He says, concern lacing his tone, eyebrows stitched together in confusion.

“I got in!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“The Academy!” Naruto exclaims, holding up the acceptance letter in front of him, “I was accepted!”

“Really? Naruto that’s great!”

Iruka steps forwards and takes the papers from his hand. He reads the standard congratulatory message of acceptance, then he flips to the second page and reads his class schedule and list of needed supplies. If Naruto could bounce off the walls, he would be. 

“Got me as your religious history professor, huh?” Iruka asks. Naruto looks at him nervously for a second.

“So… Can we go shopping?” Naruto smiles, then when he sees Iruka’s reluctance, “Please?”

With summer being over for the most part, and the letter having been so delayed, there is not much time left to buy what Naruto needs before everything is sold out. Iruka had planned on taking it easy for most the day, maybe double-check his course plans and touch-up anything that needed to be done, but with Naruto looking at him with puppy-dog eyes and a smile that could rival the sun, he gives up.

“Fine,” Iruka sighs.

“Yes!” Naruto exclaims, dancing in place while he punches the air, “When do we leave?”

“Be ready in around an hour.” Iruka turns back to the coffee maker and grabs the full mug. He is still going to enjoy this coffee, no exceptions. “We’re going to Midview Plaza.” 

  
  
Almost an hour and a half later and they pull into the parking lot of a small shopping center. They park on the far end, in front of the old cafe that has been there since before Naruto had even been born.

“You remember this place, Naruto?” Iruka asks as they leave the car. 

“Sure do!” Naruto clasps his hands together behind his head as they walk towards the bakery. Iruka tells him he can do the honors this time, to which he celebrates with a shout.  
  
They close in on the bakery, and Iruka holds the door open for Naruto, cool air blasting him as he enters. Pastries and deserts enclosed in glass casing in rows draw his attention. The few tables lining the glass window lack customers and their commotion, and he only hears the constant whirring of a large refrigerator off to the side. He approaches the register counter and rings the small service bell. 

“Welcome to Calm Bite Cafe! Just one moment please!” Footsteps approach from the kitchen until they come into view at the register. “How can I help you?”

“Can I get two medium dandelion root iced teas please?”

The employee raises an eyebrow. “Any sugar?”

“No, thank you.”

“Freshly brewed or steeped overnight?”

“Fresh, please.”

“Follow me,” The worker says, and pushes open the waist high swing door next to the register. Naruto and Iruka follow as they walk out the front door and around back. A faded, splintering wooden gate probably older than the cafe itself blocks their path. Thick ivy stems grasp the wood firmly, ensuring that it will not come open.

The cafe employee hovers their right hand over the gate handle, and says firmly, “Meanusuri.”

It takes a moment, but the ivy vines slowly rescind their hold on the gate, not stopping until they have creeped their way back onto the building walls. The employee pushes the gate open without a word, and they follow. 

The area behind the gate is quite empty, nothing but a few stacks of boxes in a corner. The worker stops in front of the cement wall opposite of the gate.

“Do you want me to do this part?” Iruka asks from behind him. 

“Nah,” Naruto shakes his head, “I got it.”

Naruto walks up to the wall, and knocks on it 5 times and whispers something quickly. Nothing happens, and for a second he thinks he did it wrong, but then a scraping sound comes from within the wall. He watches as it seems to peel itself back, layer after layer, until a hole big enough to walk through gapes at them. Through it is an entirely different town, worn cobblestone walkways that clack and scrape with the busy footsteps of townspeople. 

Naruto ogles the view with impatience. “I’m about to spend so much money.”

Naruto steps through the hole with no hesitation, awing at the shops lining the walkway despite having been here before. However, the last time he had been here was when he was probably 12. The only name he remembers of the shops is Haruno’s, the wand store that he had so desperately wanted to run inside back then.

Iruka bows slightly to the worker and thanks them, then follows Naruto into the Plaza. The wall seals itself back up behind them. Naruto starts walking towards one of the shops, but Iruka grabs him by the handle of the small backpack he wears. 

“Not so fast. Do you even have money on you?” Naruto takes too long to answer, and Iruka sighs. “I thought so. In that case, we’re going to the bank first.”

Naruto slumps his shoulders and groans, lazily following Iruka as he takes the lead. He looks at the shops as they pass, the urge to enter them so strong he nearly ditches Iruka. But even if he did, his pockets are still empty, so it would be pointless. 

Naruto ogles them anyways, letting himself indulge in brief moments of window-shopping while they walk. Mannequins wearing fancy looking cloaks stand in the windows of one shop, and he can already see himself opening the door later. Passing the next one, he strains his eyes to see inside, everything inside being varying shades of black--all he can see is the semi-formal looking attire in the front windows. His head continues to snap from side to side to try and see as much from the shops as possible, about ready to say fuck it and just go in. 

“Here we are,” Iruka spots the bank on the right side, then looks back at Naruto, “Let’s go inside, but let me do the talking, alright? You can do it yourself next time.”

Naruto drawls an agreement, and they walk towards the entrance. He hates the stiff nature of banks. He always felt like he had to stand up straight and use big words when he spoke to people at the front desk. Even though this is a Midview bank, he doubts it could be different from any other Mundane one, and mentally thanks Iruka to the moon and back for handling all the talking. 

Naruto reads the scripture on the glass door in front of him. 

_Cara’s._

Iruka holds the door open for him once again, and Naruto first notices the onslaught of nearly deafening talk bouncing against all surfaces, conversations between customers and employees are lost in the yells and laughter between and towards the staff members. Then he notices how short most of the workers actually are, not more than 3 feet tall, walking quickly from one side of the room to the other, some disappearing behind doors lining the walls, others walking down the hallway directly in front of him. The interior of the building seems to be entirely made of gold and silver aside from the marble flooring, so clean he thinks he sees his own face in the reflection.

Iruke drags Naruto by his arm through the hustle and bustle to a service counter unoccupied by a client. Naruto notices the lack of a computer.

“My name is Saoirse, how can I help you today?” A short woman occupying the desk asks, leaning her chin on her hand as she smiles at them.

“Good morning, we need to make a withdrawal, please,” Iruka answers politely, clasping his hands together on the counter. 

“Sure thing!” Saoirse says cheerfully, “Can I get a name?”

“Uzumaki Naruto.”

“Oh, a fun one today! Lucky me.” Saoirse looks at Naruto, and her smile falters a bit, “Are you his legal guardian?”

“Yes.” Iruka fishes his wallet from his back pocket and pulls out two ID cards and hands them to her. “I’m his adoptive father, Umino Iruka.”

Saoirse compares the two cards closely, furrows her eyebrows at one point, looks up at Iruka once, then hands the cards back. She turns and descends down what Naruto guesses is a few stairs, and reappears around the counter. 

“Follow me,” She says, long red-orange hair swaying close to the floor behind her. She turns towards the hallway Naruto noticed when he walked in, and he falls in line with Iruka as they walk.

Compared to the lobby, the hallway seems much older, more serious. There are no golden pillars or any marble flooring, just bleak stone that cracks in some places. Naruto notices there is no electric lighting, instead there are lanterns lining the wall, only providing just enough light for someone to see what they were doing. They frame large, heavy looking metal doors with intricate looking locks he could never hope to understand let alone undo, and he wonders what kind of treasure could be hidden behind each door. 

They come to a fork in the hallway, either left or right. Saoirse guides them down the right path. The further they go the older it seems to get, which Naruto finds odd. He is only 17, so you would think he would be more up front in the newer vaults instead of these decrepit ones. 

Saoirse finally stops at a vault. 

“Vault 59,” She says matter of factly, turning to look at him, “Naruto, this is your vault.”

Saoirse takes a step towards the door, staring at it intently. Naruto barely catches her muttering something to herself, so quiet it did not register in his ears he could only watch her lips move. Then, she holds out a small hand, two fingers pointed over the lock, and begins to drag them in a pattern Naruto loses track of. The metal of the locks follow her direction, scraping and grinding and clicking in tandem. She halts her movements, and a bang comes from the other side of the door. 

Pulled or pushed by an invisible force, the door opens on its own, slowly revealing one of Naruto’s wildest dreams. There, pushed as far back as possible, is an obscenely large mound of gold coins. They reflect small bits of the lantern light from the hallway, almost like glitter if you squint your eyes. 

“What the hell!” Naruto gapes, “This is _my vault_?”

“Yup. It was left to you by your parents,” Iruka says nonchalantly, facing Naruto with his hands perched on his hips, “You’re almost eighteen, so I figured it was time you saw this. How much do you think you need?”

“Well, I mean,” Naruto stutters, trying to catch up, “I guess if I have this much I can afford to splurge a little, right?”

“That’s the spirit!” Saoirse says, and laughs to herself. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s alright,” Iruka sighs, then turns to Saoirse, “Can we withdraw 200 gold cuts please?”

Saoirse nods, and from within her uniform she pulls out a neat stack of portable sachets. Iruka gestures to her at Naruto, implying this is his job now, so Naruto walks up to her and receives them before walking into the vault. 

Naruto bickers with Iruka when he realizes he will not be helping him count the cuts, and Saoirse smiles and giggles while she watches. He sighs, relenting, and goes about meticulously counting, slowly adding them to his backpack as he goes. It really does not take long, but when he does finish his knees ache from crouching and bending over. 

Saoirse closes the door after Naruto leaves the vault, the locks working on their own to fall back into place. She says nothing when she turns to lead them back down the hallway, and Naruto smiles to himself at the slight jangling of the cuts in his backpack. 

They return to the lobby in what seems like less time than it took to get to the vault. The lobby is still obnoxiously loud, and Naruto wonders which part of the bank he prefers more. Saoirse stops in front of her counter.

“Don’t worry about the paperwork, I’ll handle that after you leave,” Saoirse smiles at them, and adds “And I promise I won’t tell anyone about your overwhelming wealth.”

“Thank you, Saoirse,” Iruka says, bowing, “We’ll be leaving now.”

Iruka walks towards the door, and Saoirse winks playfully at Naruto before he follows him. 

“They were Leprechauns,” Iruka says, answering the question he knows was bubbling in Naruto’s head, “Normally you only find them in Ireland, but they’ll go elsewhere if there’s enough money involved.”

Naruto hums in acknowledgement. “Anyways, we’re shopping now right?”

Iruka laughs. “Right. You have your list?”

Naruto nods and picks it from his pocket and unfolds it. He smiles ominously while looking at it, just knowing he is able to blow some money on some higher-end items. Iruka ends up dragging him to The Willow Leaf’s Bookstore so Naruto can get his textbooks and other school supplies first and foremost. Once they leave, however, Naruto immediately starts pulling him down the street, barely able to avoid running into other shoppers. The aggressive twinkle in his eye says it all. 

Naruto goes through the stores like nobody's business. The first one they visit is Cernunnos’, a masculine clothing store, and Naruto buys new shirts, pants, and surprisingly, a pair of black boots that he thought would make him look badass. Iruka ends up buying himself a shirt there as well--he tells himself Naruto’s spontaneity is rubbing off on him. 

Naruto drags him to the one next door, a more formal looking store, Crow & Raven, one that they actually needed to stop by. A song by a rock band he does not know plays softly in the background as they enter, and he hears someone greet them from the back of the shop.

The racks are lined with clothing made for all kinds of spellwork, the ritualistic and ceremonial kinds as well as the more laid back ones. Iruka watches him awe at the quality of the individualistic designs, hands running along the fabric and tracing the embroidery with much interest. He can already tell Naruto will drop a large portion of his money here.

Naruto knows that he does not require everything they have to offer, and he tries to keep that in mind, but Gods does he want it anyway. His eyes rake over the loosely fitting shirts and pants that he can tell were made to be comfortable, and marvels at how anyone can make something look so inviting and formal at the same time. His eyes drift over belts, undergarments, and even lingerie as he goes over everything, walking through unorganized aisles. 

He looks up to see what else there is, and he spots a section for cloaks, robes, and capes and makes a beeline for it. He looks through them excitedly, skimming over the designs and feeling the fabrics, looking for something he knows would not bother him during a spell or ritual. He goes through them, pulling hangers towards himself on the rack as he inspects them.

Naruto pulls another cloak out of the way, the cape behind it instantly snatching his interest. The black material is not anything particularly special, maybe the mock neck is fetching, but the floral embroidery dancing along the bottom and crawling it’s way upwards and stopping at the chest really draws him in. Mushrooms scatter along the bottom, and he catches sight of a couple frogs too. On the right side, opposite of his heart, is a fox, curled up and sleeping with a small smile on its face. The sight calms him. 

It does not take much longer for him to decide on what other garb he needs, going through a couple sessions of trying some items on. He picks out a loose, sort of flowy pair of cotton paints that let his lower half breath easily, as well as a simple blank tank top. He also chose a pair of shoes he did not originally recognize--zori, as Iruka told him, and a simple bland headband to keep his hair out of his face so he can focus better.

So half of his wealth is diminished, leaving him 98 gold coins to finish his shopping. Naruto starts walking towards Blackbird, a store for jewelry meant to be enchanted, when Iruka pulls on his backpack again. 

“Nope, we’re getting you a wand before anything else. I don’t want you to find yours and have it be too expensive,” Iruka states firmly, pulling Naruto across the street to Haruno’s.

Iruka opens the door for him a third time, this time pushing Naruto inside. The peacefulness of the place envelops him, invades his ears the way noise would. The room is big, a staircase off to the left that leads to a second story even, but it feels cramped despite them being the only customers. The walls are lined with standing shelves filled to the brim with products. Directly in front of him lies a long line of glass casing up to his waste that blocks access to the register and a door labeled _EMPLOYEES_ behind it.

“Welcome to Haruno’s Wands and Witch Tools!” A man sitting behind the register says delighted, “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Actually,” Iruka says, snatching Naruto’s class requirements from his pocket as he passes him, “Could you help him find the things on this list, please?”

“Oh, a new student at the Academy?” The man says, and Naruto just now notices how his pale pink hair seems to be styled into the shape of a cherry blossom, “My daughter is new too. Alright, let’s get you set up, kid.”

The man disappears through the door at the back and reappears from one he had not noticed between shelves on the right. 

“I’m Kizashi Haruno, by the way,” The man says with a slight bow, “Pleased to meet you.”

Naruto returns the gesture, and Kizashi immediately starts asking him questions about what he already has from the list at home, and clarifies anything on the list that can be substituted for something else. He suggests buying a few of the empty journals, advising that Naruto will need the free space in the future. 

They go through the rest of the list quickly, and Iruka watches as Naruto’s energy only seems to increase. This has been his dream for a long time, so he decides not to tease him about his never ceasing smile on his lips. But, he does distantly wonder how his cheeks are not tired. 

They make a few trips back to the register to deposit products Naruto had liked onto the counter. All that is left is to find him a Wand. 

“Remember, it’s like I said,” Kizashi reminds, perched against the counter, “It doesn’t have to be a traditional wand or an athame or a sword, it can be a cool looking stick, a feather, a pointed stone--hell, it can even be your own hand.”

Naruto hums to himself in contemplation. “Can I see what you have?”

Kizashi nods and leads him upstairs. Here, the shelves are filled completely with instruments used to direct energy. He shows Naruto the traditional wands, the swords hung upon the wall, athames delicately held in boxes. He inspects a jar of feathers too, and then he is introduced to the cool looking sticks. 

His eyes are glued to one in particular. It is probably the size of his ring or middle finger in diameter, longer than his forearm, all jagged angles making a zig-zag like a stitching pattern. The wood has been sanded down to reveal with white wood, reddish-brown patterns fainting along it, and smooth to the touch when he picks it up. 

“It’s Hawthorn wood,” Kizashi says from behind him, “One of the sacred nine.”

Naruto stares at it for a few seconds longer, then turns to him and says, “I want it.”

“Could’ve guessed,” Kizashi jokes, turning back to make his way back down the staircase.

Naruto pays the man 90 cuts, internally wincing every time he hands over a sachet. He thanks Kizashi earnestly, waves goodbye to him and makes his way to the door. 

“Hold on, Naruto,” Iruka asks, walking up to register, “I want to talk to Kizashi.”

Iruka and him talk in hushed voices, expressions of confusion and surprise cover Kizashi’s face multiple times. Naruto furrows his eyebrows and squints, watches him write down something Iruka says on a piece of paper before folding it and placing it in his pocket. He says what looks like to be a thank you, and Iruka faces him again, ready to leave with Naruto’s bags in hand.

“Ready to go?”

“Sure, yeah. I’m exhausted from all that shopping.” 

“Unfortunate, because I’m not carrying all the stuff you bought.”

“Oh, come on!”

  
  
  
A week before the semester starts, and they’re back at Midview Plaza, sun high above them. Naruto told Iruka when they got home from shopping that he wanted to go to Freshmen Orientation despite not needing to. Iruka complained about how much of a pain it would be to go back and forth, and thus decided he would help Naruto find on-campus housing as well, quickly deciding on one of the programs offered at the Academy in addition to regular classes.

Naruto had asked what Orientation was like, if it was anything fancy. Iruka had laughed and said no, that it was nothing formal. Naruto had sighed with relief, and when he came back downstairs in plain jeans and one of the new shirts he had gotten--this one had a picture of a full moon on one side of his chest, the phases of the moon lined both sleeves--Iruka had laughed again.

Iruka had also informed him that the Academy lied somewhere in the middle of the Narrow Woodlands, the forest next to Midview Plaza. Not only that, but without the knowledge needed to get there, or unless you could somehow fly overhead, it is impossible to find. Naruto had complained about everything being so difficult. 

Now, here they were, nearing the edge of the Plaza where people mingle less. The street lights are dim and more prone to flickering. It felt more dangerous with the decline in shops and increase in alleyways for criminals to hide in. The walkway is less kept, the stone beneath their feet growing moss in between the cracks, parts of it even poking up in some places waiting for someone to trip. 

Naruto walks beside Iruka even though he should be letting him lead the way, and eventually the path comes to a sudden halt, giving way to a new dirt one. In front of them is a wide, spacious field, brimming with tall grasses and other flowering plants. It was the space between the Plaza and the forest, which seemed to tower above them from around 100 feet away. They tread the path, and Naruto is surprised that he does not see other people here on a day like this. 

“Remember, keep an eye out for a tree stump,” Iruka says once they enter the forest, “Don’t go off the path unless I say so.”

It is prettier here than Naruto expected, sounds prettier too. He had been ready for dense shadows and eerie animalistic sounds, but it was quite the opposite. The treetops were not that dense, allowing sunlight to filter through the spaces in between the leaves, casting shallow shadows upon the forest floor. Off the path is entirely wild, dead branches and leaves crowding tree trunks like a carpet. The brush is not exactly dense, but it is not thin either. He watches a rabbit run from under a bush and deeper beyond what he can see. 

“Here we are!” Iruka points at a tree stump just off the path to the left just ahead of them. “From there we take a sharp left and keep going straight until we see the gate.”

Iruka is the first one to step off the path, and Naruto follows behind him. They maneuver between trees and tall bushes, careful not to step on flowers or in any holes that might be around. He nearly trips and falls over a tree root, and when he looks up once he regains his balance, and there it is, a grandiose wooden archway that twists in on itself. 

“Iruka! Look!” Naruto says, pointing to the gate. 

He runs for it, extra careful not to snag his limbs as he goes, and the gate gets closer and closer. Iruka calls out for him to wait, but he keeps going. As he approaches, the worry worming through his chest increases, because he does not see any buildings. That is what you expect of a university equivalent school, but all he sees as he runs under the twisting arch is a large, empty expanse easily over a mile long blanketed by dead leaves. 

Iruka catches up to him, joins him in the empty space. Naruto turns to him. 

“Where’s the Academy?” Naruto panics, “It’s supposed to be right here right? It-”

“Naruto.” He turns to Iruka. Naruto blinks. “Turn around again.”

Naruto squints, but slowly turns around nonetheless. He practically jumps out of his own skin with a yelp when his eyes fall upon old buildings that have appeared before him. They look unlike mundane schools whose buildings are simplistic in design and easy to follow. Each one has a height different to the one next to it, he cannot find where the staircases start or end, and it seems like the concept of doors never crossed anyones mind here.

_So complicated…_

Iruka places both hands on his shoulders from behind and pushes him forwards. 

“Come on, you’re gonna be late if we don’t get going.”

  
  
  


Naruto regrets talking Iruka into letting him attend Freshman Orientation. And no, he was not late, he was actually very early.

He did not know what to expect really, but he thought it would at least be fun. Standing in line to get a name tag was not fun. Nor is it fun to sit at an empty round table and wait for other students to show up. The stage up front had dampened his mood heavily, knowing he was in for some speeches. He suspects he may fall asleep before anything even starts. 

Naruto sighs, letting his arms hang limp as he slides down in his chair. His legs are practically thrumming with the need to get him out of this boring hellhole. At the least, a pleasant buzz of conversation has started to fill the room--which, when he examines closer he guesses it to be some kind of room for students to hang out and study or eat-- and the seats are filling up quicker. 

He sits up and perches his elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand. His eyes start to droop as time goes on, until he eventually gives up and folds his arms across the table and shoves his face to his elbow. 

Naruto wakes up to the startling sound of applause, and he sits up quickly, blinking his eyes while they adjust to the light. He looks down at the table where his face had been, widens his eyes at the little puddle of drool and cleans it up with his long sleeve before anyone can notice. A blonde woman bows in front of the podium up front before walking offstage. Naruto takes notice of the people sitting at his tables.

_Oh Gods, they definitely saw me sleeping._

He ignores the next person coming onstage to talk in favor of examining the people at his table. His eyes glue to one of them, even though the guy is not particularly special. His skin seems borderline translucent unlike Naruto’s own, black hair pulled back in a low ponytail, some locks of hair having loosened from it. What stands out to him most are his eyes, resembling pools of ink he could drown in. 

The man leans into his hand much like he had before he fell asleep, inadvertently covering his name tag with this arm. He looks somewhat focused on the speaker, so Naruto leans forwards a bit to try to sneakily tilt his head to read his name tag. 

_Uchiha, Sasuke._

Satisfied with the newfound knowledge, not caring who anyone else is at his table, Naruto sits back in his chair again. He deliberates if he should pull out his phone or if it would be rude to do so, and somewhere along the way he zones out entirely. He comes back to reality when the audience applauses once more, and one of the staff members lets everyone know there is food on the other side of the room.

Unfortunately for him, Iruka calls his name as he starts to drift towards the tables lined with the sustenance he so desires.

_Oh yeah, Combat Program._

Naruto sighs exasperatedly, and every step he puts between himself and the food pains him. Iruka leads him out of the building to show him where the student center is, because without a break, Naruto has to sit through _another_ presentation, this time for a program almost entirely unrelated to his studies. 

Time flies by as Naruto pays barely any attention at all to the Combat Program presentation, only listening to key points before he starts thinking of something else. A man with styled white hair and a mask over his face does the talking, which he guesses is an interesting style choice, but other than that he lets his mind wander. He also noticed that the student from before, Sasuke Uchiha, had also decided to join the program. 

At the end of the presentation, the white-haired man goes around and hands every student a paper. He reads through it, going over available meeting times, appropriate attire and tools needed, and housing. He checks off the parts that apply to him, writes in the schedule he had been given, and signs it with his name and date at the bottom. Naruto knows he went through it fast, but he doubts he missed anything or filled something in incorrectly, so he stands up quickly and hands the paper back to the man, who looks it over and raises an eyebrow. 

“Looking forward to working with you,” He says suspiciously, rips off a paper attached to the back, a replica he assumes, and hands it back.

Naruto bows to him, then makes quick work of leaving the presentation area. He exits the student center with a sigh, finding Iruka waiting for him at a nearby tree. He chuckles at how exhausted Naruto looks even though he knows it’s dramaticized. 

“Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! <3
> 
> twitter: @nycthemeron


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